Lovely Little Semlors

I have mentioned semlors before and well, I am mentioning them again! I finally got around to making my very own semlors on Saturday and I'm happy to say, they tasted great. They were definitely not as amazing as the ones at my favorite bakery in Lund, but they were still delicious!

There are four parts to a semla (that's what they're called in their singular form). There's the cardamom bun with its top cut off, the almond paste fills the inside of the bun, whipped cream is placed over the almond paste, the lid of the bun is placed back on top, and then bun is dusted with icing sugar. I am not a huge marzipan or almond paste fan in general, but I absolutely love it in semlors. If I get a piece of chocolate covered marzipan, I usually just take one bite and pass it on to the boyfriend, but I will happily and quickly eat up a large semla! I really do hope you'll try making your own semlor, especially as lent is ending this weekend and semla season comes to an end!

Lovely Little Semlors (adapted from Call Me Cupcake)
makes 12 medium sized semlors

For the cardamom buns:
25g fresh yeast
75g butter (normally I use unsalted butter in baking sweets, but I used salted and it is totally fine here)
1 cup milk
1/2 tbsp crushed cardamom seeds
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 - 3 cups all purpose flour
1 egg

Filling:
200g almond paste
splash of milk

Cream topping:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
(the original recipe calls for vanilla extract and a spoon of sugar as well
but I didn't add it and didn't really miss it)

Powdered sugar for dusting

Crumble the yeast into a large bowl. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the milk and the crushed cardamom seeds. Heat this mixture to 37C or 98.6F. Pour warm liquid over the crumbled yeast and stir until dissolved. Add salt, sugar, and flour. Start by adding 2 1/2 cups flour, and add the extra 1/2 cup if needed. The dough should be a little sticky but still workable. Put a kitchen towel over the bowl and let it rise in a warm spot for 45 minutes.

Work the dough on a floured surface. Divide dough into 12 portions and roll them into smooth balls. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with the kitchen towel again, and let rise a second time for 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 225C or 437F. Brush buns with a lightly beaten egg. Bake in the middle of the oven for 9 minutes. Let cool completely.

Cut out the top of each bun following the cone method. Take off the excess bits of bun on the top piece that was just cut out, and scoop out a little bit of the inside of the bun. Mix together the inside bits of the bun, the almond paste, and a splash of milk until smooth. Whip  heavy cream until you get soft peaks.

To assemble, fill each bun with almond paste, pipe or spoon the whipped cream on top, and lastly, put the "lid" back on. Garnish by sifting icing sugar over the top of the buns.

I hope you fall in love with these little buns too!